Israeli-Backed Palestinian Group Kills Senior Hamas Police Officer in Gaza, Threatens More Attacks

An Israeli–backed Palestinian militia said on Monday it had killed a senior Hamas police officer in the southern Gaza Strip, an incident which Hamas blamed on “Israeli collaborators.”

A statement from the Hamas-run interior ministry said gunmen opened fire from a passing car, killing Mahmoud Al-Astal, head of the criminal police unit in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave. It described the attackers as “collaborators with the occupation.”

Hussam Al-Astal, leader of an anti-Hamas group based in an area under Israeli control east of Khan Younis, claimed responsibility for the killing in a video he posted on his Facebook page. The surname he shares with the dead man, Al-Astal, is common in that part of Gaza.

“To those who work with Hamas, your destiny is to be killed. Death is coming to you,” he said, dressed in a black military-style uniform and clutching an assault rifle.

Reuters could not independently verify the circumstances of the attack. An Israeli military official said the army was not aware of any operations in the area.

The emergence of armed anti-Hamas groups, though still small and localized, has added pressure on the ruling Islamist terror group and could complicate efforts to stabilize and unify a divided Gaza, shattered by two years of war.

These groups publicly deny they take Israeli orders. Hamas has held public executions of people it accuses of collaboration.

Under a ceasefire in place since October, Israel has withdrawn from nearly half of the Gaza Strip, but its troops remain in control of the other half, where most buildings have been leveled.

Nearly all of the territory’s two million people now live in Hamas-held areas, mostly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, where the group has been reasserting its grip. Four Hamas sources said it continues to command thousands of fighters despite suffering heavy losses during the war.

Israel has been allowing rivals of Hamas to operate in areas it controls. In later phases, US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza calls for Israel to withdraw further and for Hamas to yield power to an internationally backed administration, but there has so far been no progress towards those steps.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli backing for anti-Hamas groups in June, saying Israel had “activated” clans, but has given few details since then.

The ceasefire has ended major combat in Gaza over the past three months, but both sides have accused the other of regular violations.

The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded Israel from neighboring Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages.